System for construction of balustrades for terraces or the like

ABSTRACT

A system for construction of balustrades for terraces or the like, includes vertically extending posts ( 1, 2, 3 ), and horizontally extending beams ( 20, 21 ) connected to the posts and supported by the posts. According to the invention, each post ( 1, 2, 3 ) includes at least one elongate support member ( 5 ) which carries at least one securing element ( 6, 7 ) for fastening a beam ( 20, 21 ), and at least two elongate cover elements ( 8 ), which can be secured to one another, cooperate to surround the support member ( 5 ) when secured to one another and have recesses ( 14, 15, 18, 19 ) for each securing element ( 6, 7 ) to pass through, so that part of the securing element ( 6, 7 ) protrudes outside the cover elements ( 8 ) when these are secured to one another and surround each elongate support member ( 5 ) included in the post.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a system for construction ofbalustrades for terraces or the like, comprising vertically extendingposts, and horizontally extending beams connected to the posts andsupported by said posts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Instead of calling on skilled tradesmen, it has become increasinglycommon for people to undertake home improvement and renovation projectsthemselves, for example painting, hanging wallpaper, and laying floors.To meet this need, floor constructions, for example, have been designedwhich are easier for do-it-yourself enthusiasts to lay without usingspecial tools. The construction of patios, terraces or the like is onebuilding project often undertaken by do-it-yourself enthusiasts. Thereis a need for constructions that make it easier for such people toconstruct terrace balustrades or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to meet this need by providinga system for construction of balustrades for terraces or the like, whichsystem comprises a small number of different components that, bydifferent combinations, permit construction both of corner posts andalso intermediate posts, is easy to transport by car, and permitsconstruction of terrace balustrades without material being wasted. Afurther object of the invention is to configure the system in such a waythat it can be assembled into a balustrade simply with the aid of ascrewdriver as tool.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, these objects are achieved by means of asystem for construction of balustrades for terraces or the like,comprising vertically extending posts, and horizontally extending beamsconnected to the posts and supported by said posts, characterized inthat each post includes at least one elongate support member whichcarries at least one securing element for fastening a beam, and at leasttwo elongate cover elements, which can be secured to one another,cooperate to surround the support member when secured to one another andhave recesses for each securing element to pass through, so that part ofthe securing element protrudes outside the cover elements when these aresecured to one another and surround the elongate support member.

In a preferred embodiment, each securing element for a beam protrudes atright angles with respect to an outer surface of the elongate coverelements when these are secured to one another and surround the elongatesupport member. Moreover, each securing element for a beam is secured tothe support member such that it is displaceable in the longitudinaldirection of the support member.

The support member preferably comprises a bar which has an externalthread cooperating with an internal thread in a hole in the securingelement, and each securing element preferably comprises an elongateplate of rectangular cross section. The elongate cover elements comprisea longitudinal central recess for accommodating the elongate supportmember, and transverse slits or cutouts through which the plate-shapedsecuring elements pass.

With the cover elements secured to one another, those parts of theirmutually facing surfaces located outside the central recesses are plane,and, on both sides of the central recess, the mutually facing planesurfaces of two mutually secured cover elements diverge from one anotherin the direction toward the central recess.

In a preferred variant, each post comprises securing elements forfastening an upper beam and lower beam in the post, and each beamcomprises a series of slats or bars which are separated from one anotherin the longitudinal direction of the beam and which extend transverselyrelative to the longitudinal direction of the beams. Each beam alsocomprises, at its opposite ends, a recess for introduction of a part ofa securing element protruding from a post.

Screw connections are advantageously used for connecting the coverelements to one another and for connecting the beams to the securingelements.

In the preferred embodiment, the support member comprises a threadedupper part, and a cover plate with a central, internally threaded blindhole is provided to permit turning of the support member and,consequently, movement of the securing elements in the longitudinaldirection of the support member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described with reference to the attachedfigures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a terrace balustradeaccording to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a support member with securingelements included in a post of a balustrade according to the invention,

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show schematic views of different types of coverelements included in posts,

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the top part of a post made up of asupport member with securing element according to FIG. 2 and two coverelements according to FIG. 3,

FIG. 7 shows a cross section through the post from FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 shows a perspective and exploded view of that part of thebalustrade according to FIG. 1 arranged between posts,

FIG. 9 shows a schematic view of a second embodiment of a component of abalustrade according to a second embodiment,

FIG. 10 shows a cross section through a second embodiment of a postaccording to the invention, and

FIG. 11 shows a schematic perspective view of the lower part of a cornerpost according to a further embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The terrace balustrade shown in FIG. 1 comprises a corner post 1, amiddle post 2, two end posts 3, and three beam sections 4. Each post ismade up of an elongate support member 5 which carries securing elements6, 7, and two cover elements 8 which together are intended to surroundthe support member 5. FIG. 6 shows the upper part of a middle post 2.

In the embodiment shown, the support member 5 comprises a bar with anupper threaded part 9 and a lower threaded part 10. In a variant, thesupport member is threaded along its entire length. At its threadedupper and lower parts, the support member 5 carries a pair of securingelements 6, 7 which protrude outward from the support member at rightangles to its longitudinal direction. The securing elements 6, 7comprise substantially rectangular plates which, at their end areas,have a hole with internal threading matching the threaded parts of thesupport member. At their outer areas, the securing elements havethrough-holes 11, as is shown schematically in FIG. 6.

To ensure that the outer parts of the securing elements in each pair ofsecuring elements 6, 7 lie at the same level, as seen in thelongitudinal direction of the support member, when they are screwed ontothe bar 5, the securing element 7 can comprise an upper part 12 and alower part 13 which are separated vertically by a distance correspondingto the thickness of the securing elements, and are joined to one anothervia a wall part 14 extending in the transverse direction relative to theplane of the parts 12 and 13. However, this configuration is notnecessary, because the resistance of the securing elements to bendingwill not be greater than will allow their outer portions to be broughtlevel with one another by hand.

By virtue of the fact that the securing elements 6, 7 can turn relativeto the support member 5, the securing elements can be placed such thatthey protrude in opposite directions from the support member 5 or atdirections perpendicular to one another depending on whether the post,of which the support member is a component, constitutes a middle post orcorner post. It should be noted in this connection that the wall part 14of the securing element 7 must be placed such that the securing element6 can be turned at right angles to the securing element 7 without beingimpeded by the wall part 14. Moreover, the securing elements 6, 7preferably have the same length so that, in a finished post, they havesecuring portions protruding the same distance from the outside of thepost.

As has been mentioned above, a post according to the invention alsocomprises two cover elements 8 which surround the support member 5.These cover elements are constructed in principle in the same way and,in the embodiment shown, they comprise two elongate elements 8 ofU-shaped cross section. FIGS. 3-5 show three such elongate coverelements 8A, 8B and 8C which differ from one another only in terms ofthe configuration of the recesses in their walls, which recesses arenecessary to permit passage of the securing elements 6, 7.

The cover element 8A has an upper pair of recesses 14 and a lower pairof recesses 15 formed in the opposite walls of the cover element 8Awhich form branches of the U-shaped element 8A. The recesses 14, 15 arein the form of through-slits which are at right angles to thelongitudinal direction of the cover element 8A, have a depthcorresponding to half the width of a securing element 6, 7, and have awidth corresponding to the thickness of the securing elements 6, 7. Toform a middle post 2 (see FIG. 1), the support member 5 in FIG. 2 issurrounded by two cover elements 8A by means of the securing elements 6,7 being placed in the slits 14, 15, after which the cover elements 8Aare secured to one another, for example by being screwed together. FIG.6 shows the upper part of such a middle post 2. This figure also shows atop part 16 for the post in the form of a square plate which, on itsunderside, has a blind hole 17 with an internal thread which can bescrewed securely onto the upper threaded end of the support member 5.

FIG. 4 shows a cover element 8B which differs from the cover element 8Ain that it does not have a slit 14, 15 in one of the branch walls.Instead, this cover element 8B has a recess 18, 19 in the form of acutout in that wall of the U-shaped cover element which connects thebranches to one another, and at a level with the respective slits 14,15. The cutouts 18, 19 extend at right angles to the longitudinaldirection of the cover element, are located centrally, and have a widthcorresponding to the width of a securing element 6, 7. Such a coverelement can cooperate with a support member on which the securingelements 6, 7 are arranged at right angles to each other, and,therefore, the cover element 8B can constitute one of two cover elements8 forming a corner post 1 (see FIG. 1). The other cover element 8C ofsuch a corner post is shown in FIG. 5. This cover element just has slits14, 15 in one of the branch walls. The cover elements 8B and 8C cantogether surround the support member 5 in such a way that the securingparts of the securing elements 6, 7 protrude from the post at rightangles with respect to one another.

Instead of cooperating with the cover element 8B shown in FIG. 4, thecover element 8C shown in FIG. 5 can cooperate with a similar coverelement 8C to form an end post 3 (see FIG. 1). In this connection itshould be noted that, in the embodiment shown, the distance of the slits14, 15 and cutouts 18, 19 from the upper and lower ends, respectively,of the cover elements 8 is the same, which means that, by suitablyturning the cover elements, two cover elements 8C can be used to formend posts 3 to which intermediate sections 4 can be attached from bothright and left. The same applies to the corner post formed by the coverelements 8B and 8C. By turning these elements in a suitable way, theycan cooperate with support members 5 on which the securing elements 6 inFIG. 2 extend at right angles to the plane of the paper, either in thedirection toward or in the direction away from the person looking atFIG. 2.

Therefore, with the embodiment of the cover elements 8 shown in FIGS.3-5, only three different types 8A, 8B, 8C of cover elements are neededto form, together with the support member 5 in FIG. 2, all types ofposts 1, 2, 3, irrespective of the direction in which the intermediatesections 4 extend from the posts.

By contrast, if the distances of the slits and cutouts from the upperand lower ends of the cover elements are different from one another, itwill be appreciated that a further type of cover element is needed to beable to produce corner posts and end posts.

It is of course possible to do without cover elements of type 8C and toleave a pair of cutouts 14, 15 in a cover element of type 8A empty, i.e.without projecting securing element, in order to form a corner post orend post.

The support member 5 and the securing elements 6, 7 are preferably madeof metal, while the cover elements 8 are preferably made of wood. Toensure that any irregularities of the mutually facing surfaces of thebranches of the cover elements do not cause gaps between the mutuallysecured pairs of cover elements 8, the mutually facing surfaces of thebranches diverge from one another in the direction from the outsidetoward the support member, as is shown schematically in FIG. 7. In thisway, a linear contact, without gaps, is obtained between the securedcover elements, which is advantageous from the point of view ofappearance.

The intermediate section 4 shown in FIG. 8 comprises an upper beam 20, alower beam 21, and a number of slats 22 which extend at right angles tothe beams 20, 21. The components of the intermediate section 4 are shownin an exploded view in FIG. 8.

The beams 20, 21 are divided in two and comprise first boards 23, 25 andsecond boards 24, 26 respectively. The first boards 23 and 25 have acentral recess 27 at each end, which recess is of such dimensions that asecuring part of a securing element 6, 7 protruding from a post isaccommodated in the recess 27. The recess 27 can extend from one end tothe other. The second board 24 of the upper beam 20 and the first board25 of the lower beam 21 preferably have a row of pre-drilled holes tomake it easier to screw the slats 22 in place.

A terrace balustrade according to FIG. 1 can be erected in the followingway, starting at the far end of the terrace balustrade shown in FIG. 1.

First, upper and lower securing elements 6 are engaged on a supportmember 5 so that they end up in line with the slits on the cover element8C. This can be done either by comparison with a cover element 8C, or bythe positions of the slits, which of course define the position of thebeams 20, 21, being marked on the support member 5. Thereafter, theslats 22 are screwed securely to the first board 25 of the lower beam,and this board is placed on the lowermost protruding securing element 6,after which the board 26 is secured to this securing element and to theboard 25. The second board 24 of the upper beam 20 is then screwedsecurely to the slats 22, after which the first board 23 of the upperbeam is secured to the upper protruding securing element 6 and to thesecond board 24. The first board 25 of the lower beam 21 and the secondboard 24 of the upper beam 20 are preferably provided with holes whichopen into the recesses 27 to make it easier to ensure that the upper andlower beams 20, 21 end up in the correct position in relation to theposts; more specifically, these holes must be situated in line with thehole 11 (see FIG. 6) in the securing part of the securing element.

Similarly, the securing elements 6, 7 are arranged on the middle post 2in the manner shown in FIG. 2, and the securing elements 6 of the middlepost 2 are introduced into the recesses 27 at the second end of thebeams 21, 22, and the securing elements are then connected to the beams.

If the middle post 2 was to be fixed, i.e. the support member 5 wasfixedly connected to the ground, the lower beam 21 is secured to thesecuring elements of the end post 3 and the middle post 2 (see FIG. 1)before the second board 24 of the lower beam is screwed to the slats orat least before the first board 23 of the upper beam 20 is secured tothe second board 24.

The rest of the balustrade shown in FIG. 1 is erected in a similar way.However, at the corner post 1, the cover element 8A has to be engaged onthe securing elements before the intermediate section can be erected andsecured to the securing elements.

After all the intermediate sections have been secured on the respectivesecuring elements 6, 7 of the support members 5 for the different beams1, 2 and 3, the remaining cover elements for the corner post 1 and otherposts 2, 3 can be connected to one another by screwing. For thispurpose, holes are preferably drilled in one of the cover elements ineach pair of interacting cover elements.

When all the cover elements 8 have been fitted, all that remains is forthe top parts 16 of the posts to be screwed onto the uppermost threadedpart of each support member 5. When the respective top part of the posthas been screwed to the bottom of the blind hole 17, a continued turningmovement of the top part of the post causes the support member 5 to beturned. The thread of the securing elements 6, 7 can be such that acontinued turning movement of the top part 16 of the post has the effectthat the securing elements 6, 7, and thus also the cover elements 8,move upward. When the top faces of the cover elements 8 have come tobear against the underside of the top part 16 for the post, they can nolonger move upward, and a continued turning movement of the supportmember 5 is possible only if the securing elements 6, 7 are bendable.The securing elements 6, 7 preferably have such a degree of bending thatthey can be moved slightly in the vertical direction relative to theslit or cutout 14, 15 and 18, 19, respectively, through which theyprotrude. When such a relative movement takes place, the intermediatesections 4 are tensioned toward the outsides of the posts 1, 2, 3because the vertical movement of the securing elements results in inwarddisplacement of the protruding securing areas of the securing elements6, 7.

The terrace balustrade described above can of course be erected in asequence different than the one described above. For example, all theintermediate sections and posts can be put together individually, afterwhich the parts of the securing elements protruding from the posts areintroduced into the recesses in the beams of the intermediate sectionsand are then secured to them by screws.

FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of an intermediate section in which apattern of slats is secured in a frame 28. The frame 28 has securingpegs 29 which can be introduced into an upper beam and lower beamdesigned to cooperate with posts in the same way as the beams 20, 21 inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 8. The pegs 29 can be designed to fit intorecesses in a board 24, 25 of a beam 20, 21 or they can also fit intorecesses in another type of beam. It is obvious that slat patternsdifferent than the one shown can be provided within a frame 28.

FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of a cover element 8″ which cansurround a support member 5″ like the support member 5 in FIG. 2. Thecover element 8″ in FIG. 10 differs from the previous cover elements inthat it has a semicircular shape with a central semicircular recess.Otherwise, it has the same configuration as the cover elements 8A-8Cwhich have been described with reference to FIGS. 3-5. When such coverelements 8″ are used, the slats advantageously have circular crosssections, and the beams also have rounded cross sections. In thisembodiment, the top parts for the post are preferably not square, andinstead they can, for example, be in the form of a ball or the like.

The terrace balustrade described above can be secured to the ground inmany ways. For example, the lower beams of the intermediate sections canbe secured in the ground if the lower slits and grooves of the posts areplaced such that the undersides of the beams lie flush with theunderside of the posts. It is also possible to secure elements like thedescribed securing elements 6, 7 on the support member such that theyprotrude from the underside of the posts. Another variant is toconfigure the lowermost parts of the cover elements such that a planepart of an outer cover element protrudes downward from the rest of thepost or parts of the cover element protrude downward from the rest ofthe post. FIG. 11 shows one such configuration for a corner post. Such aconfiguration is advantageous if the terrace balustrade is arrangedalong the edge of terrace decking, as is often the case. The downwardlyprotruding part or parts of the cover elements can then be securelyscrewed to the outer sides of the terrace decking.

It is also possible to use the threaded lower end of the support memberfor screwing on anchoring members which are cast solidly in the groundor some other base structure.

As will be clear from the description of illustrative embodiments of aterrace balustrade or similar, it is possible for end posts, middleposts and corner posts to be formed through different combinations of asmall number of different types of cover elements. Both posts andintermediate sections can be put together in a simple way with the aidof just a screwing tool, such as a screwdriver. Because the componentsof the balustrade are pre-fabricated and only need to be put together,the balustrade is very suitable for the DIY enthusiast. To make thesystem even more flexible, the upper and lower beams of the intermediatesections can be made available in a number of different lengths so thatthe system can be used for terraces, patios or balconies of by and largeany shape. Moreover, it is of course also possible to use the system tobuild fencing, in which case the intermediate sections can be given afence-like configuration with slats which extend upward through recessesin the upper beams of the intermediate sections.

In the described embodiments the upper beams are almost level with theupper ends of the posts but it is of course possible to let some or allof the posts extend much higher than the beams, for example to serve assupports for horizontal rafters of a pergola. In such a case verticallyextending stabilising rods or the like support element can be placed andfastened in the central recess of the cover elements and the rafters canhave pre-drilled holes co-operating with such rods. Such a constructionwill lead to a very simple assembling of the pergola. If such extendedposts are twice the height of the posts disclosed in FIGS. 3-5 it isenough that only one of the cover elements used for such posts reach thefull length of the post, the other cover element can be one of the coverelements disclosed in FIGS. 3-5. Otherwise both cover elements mustreach the full length of the post.

The described embodiments can of course be modified within the scope ofthe invention. For example, the support members do not have to extendthrough the entire post and, instead, separate support members can beprovided to carry the upper and lower securing elements. In such aconfiguration, the lower support member in each post may advantageouslybe provided with a stop member, a plate, a cross-bar or the like whichprevents movement of the lower support member, so that tensioning of thelower beams of the intermediate sections is permitted in the same way asthe post top parts permit tensioning for the upper beams of theintermediate sections. Moreover, the cover elements can have crosssections different than those shown, and they do not need to have thesame cross section along their entire length. Nor is it necessary forthe outsides of the cover elements level with the slits or grooves to besituated at the same distance from the center of the post, even thoughthis is preferred so that securing elements of different length are notneeded. The central recess in the cover elements can have a differentcross section than described above. Moreover, the uppermost board of theupper beam of the intermediate section can be advantageously wider thanthe lower one. The beams do not have to be made up of two boards and,instead, they can be in one piece. Instead of having a row of holes forscrews, the beams can be provided with a row of recesses in which theends of the slats fit. The invention will therefore be limited only bythe content of the attached patent claims.

1. A system for construction of balustrades for terraces or the like,comprising vertically extending posts (1, 2, 3), and horizontallyextending beams (20, 21) connected to the posts and supported by saidposts, characterized in that each post (1, 2, 3) includes at least oneelongate support member (5) which carries at least one securing element(6, 7) for fastening a beam (20, 21), and at least two elongate coverelements (8), which can be secured to one another, cooperate to surroundthe support member (5) when secured to one another and have recesses(14, 15, 18, 19) for each securing element (6, 7) to pass through, sothat part of the securing element (6, 7) protrudes outside the coverelements (8) when these are secured to one another and surround eachelongate support member (5) included in the post.
 2. The system asclaimed in claim 1, characterized in that each securing element (6, 7)for a beam (20, 21) protrudes at right angles with respect to an outersurface of the elongate cover elements (8) when these are secured to oneanother and surround each elongate support member (5) included in thepost.
 3. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that eachsecuring element (6, 7) for a beam (20, 21) is secured to the supportmember (5) such that it is displaceable in the longitudinal direction ofthe support member.
 4. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterizedin that the support member (5) comprises a bar having an external threadcooperating with an internal thread in a hole in the securing element(6, 7).
 5. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that eachsecuring element (6, 7) comprises an elongate plate of rectangular crosssection, in that the elongate cover elements (8) comprise a longitudinalcentral recess for accommodating the elongate support member, andtransverse slits (14, 15) or cutouts (18) through which the plate-shapedsecuring elements pass.
 6. The system as claimed in claim 5,characterized in that, with the cover elements (8; 8″) secured to oneanother, those parts of their mutually facing surfaces located outsidethe central recesses are plane, and in that, on both sides of thecentral recess, the mutually facing plane surfaces of two mutuallysecured cover elements (8; 8″) diverge from one another in the directiontoward the central recess (see FIGS. 7 and 10).
 7. The system as claimedin claim 1, characterized in that each post (1, 2, 3) comprises securingelements (6, 7) for fastening an upper beam and lower beam (20 and 21)in the post, and in that each beam comprises a series of slats (22)which are separated from one another in the longitudinal direction ofthe beam and which extend transversely relative to the longitudinaldirection of the beams.
 8. The system as claimed in claim 7,characterized in that each beam (20, 21) comprises, at its oppositeends, a recess (25) for introduction of a part of a securing element (6,7) protruding from a post (1, 2, 3).
 9. The system as claimed in claim1, characterized in that screw connections are used for connecting thecover elements (8) to one another and for connecting the beams (20, 21)to the securing elements (6, 7).
 10. The system as claimed in claim 4,characterized in that the support member (5) comprises a threaded upperpart, and in that a cover plate (16) with a central, internally threadedblind hole (17) is provided to permit turning of the support member and,consequently, movement of the securing elements (6, 7) in thelongitudinal direction of the support member.
 11. The system as claimedin claim 4, wherein all or some of the posts extend upwardly from anupper securing element and have in the upper end of the post an elementfor attaching an end of a rafter for a pergola.
 12. The system asclaimed in claim 2, characterized in that each securing element (6, 7)for a beam (20, 21) is secured to the support member (5) such that it isdisplaceable in the longitudinal direction of the support member. 13.The system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that each securingelement (6, 7) comprises an elongate plate of rectangular cross section,in that the elongate cover elements (8) comprise a longitudinal centralrecess for accommodating the elongate support member, and transverseslits (14, 15) or cutouts (18) through which the plate-shaped securingelements pass.
 14. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized inthat each securing element (6, 7) comprises an elongate plate ofrectangular cross section, in that the elongate cover elements (8)comprise a longitudinal central recess for accommodating the elongatesupport member, and transverse slits (14, 15) or cutouts (18) throughwhich the plate-shaped securing elements pass.
 15. The system as claimedin claim 4, characterized in that each securing element (6, 7) comprisesan elongate plate of rectangular cross section, in that the elongatecover elements (8) comprise a longitudinal central recess foraccommodating the elongate support member, and transverse slits (14, 15)or cutouts (18) through which the plate-shaped securing elements pass.